


Afternoons

by magician



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Backstory, Challenge Response, Family, M/M, Sentinel Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-07 22:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15229599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magician/pseuds/magician
Summary: A family tradition is passed along.





	Afternoons

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 Sentinel Bingo for the prompt "Afternoon". An abbreviated version was written for the TS Chat Concrit challenge for the prompt "family". The feedback and encouragement I received from those ladies has made my writing infinitely better.

Afternoon was Naomi's favorite time of day, although she didn't learn to enjoy afternoons until she got older. From the time she was a child, she would charge full throttle through her days until the wee hours when her natural energy finally ran down.  After she got pregnant, her body's changes forced her to a slower pace. She spent her last trimester in a little California commune near the Mexican border.  The members adopted the practice of siesta and she could see the sense of it--the afternoon heat made her lazy and unproductive. To her surprise, Naomi learned to relish the naps. She would wake to a sense of wonder, appreciating the world through refreshed eyes.  
  
After Blair was born, her body still seemed to need those siestas. She found it harder to get them, though, because Blair didn't nap easily.  He cried and fussed whenever she put him in bed; it was like he didn't want to miss anything that might happen while he slept.  It was only after they moved to Guadalajara when he was three that he accepted naps, although he insisted on calling them siestas.  Since all of his friends slept in the afternoons, he had little choice but to do the same.  Still, it was often difficult for his mind to let go.  
  
"But I'm not tired, Mama," he'd protested one time.  
  
"I know, Sweetie.  You don't have to nap-- _siesta_ ," she corrected, at his scowl. "Just stretch out. I'm learning something called reflexology and I need someone to practice on. Can I do that with you?" she asked, knowing that his natural curiosity would make him agree.  As Naomi worked the pressure points on his feet, he was able to fall asleep. He woke refreshed and ready to take on the world.    
  
As he grew older, he no longer napped, but Naomi usually meditated in the afternoons and he followed suit to please her.  Along with other healing methods, she taught him reflexology. He practiced on her and himself, discovering it could be useful for either relaxing or increasing energy.  He reaped an unexpected benefit once he started dating--a good foot massage was a form of foreplay appreciated by both women and men.  
  
*****  
  
Once Blair started at Rainier, siestas were no longer practical, but he would schedule classes to leave a chunk of his afternoons open.  He'd meditate, play pick-up games, even learned to power-nap, all of which recharged his internal battery.  The practice allowed him to work into the wee hours without burning out.  It's something he did so naturally that he never thought to explain it to Jim, who couldn't understand how Blair got along with so little sleep.  
  
One afternoon, he convinced Jim to let him try reflexology to relieve a migraine that had forced Jim to leave work early.  Although Jim grumbled about "New Age mumbo-jumbo", he grudgingly conceded that it was working, promptly falling asleep on the couch once the pain was relieved.  Blair smirked as he covered the sleeping man with an afghan. He lightly caressed the top of Jim's head once, then decided on a power nap for himself, since he was facing a mountain of blue book grading that evening.    
  
*****  
  
Jim and Blair took their first real vacation as a couple - a sort of honeymoon - to Maui.  Part tourist/part native, they drove to the Haleakala crater, snorkeled, surf-fished, hiked the East waterfalls, attended a luau and, of course, did lots of swimming and surfing.  Their nights were filled with sex that was as carefree, warm and welcoming as the island itself.    
  
On the fourth afternoon, the waves had flattened.  Lounging in a beach chair, drinking a Big Swell IPA, Blair watched as Jim carried his surfboard in.  Jim looked sun-kissed and wind-blown--and bushed.  
  
And annoyed. "The waves are for shit," he complained as he laid his board down and sat beside Blair, who reached into the cooler to grab Jim a cold beer. "I guess that's it for today," Jim sighed, popping the can and taking a long slug.    
  
"Wanna catch that poke bowl place the concierge recommended?"  
  
"Too early for dinner."  
  
"What about the Lahaina Pali hike?"  
  
"Nah, not enough time."  
  
"How about a shower?" Blair suggested, noticing Jim begin to shift around, a sure sign his skin was itching from the sand and the salt water drying on his skin.  
  
Jim nodded, and they headed back to their room.  
  
As Jim emerged from the bathroom, wearing nothing but a low-slung towel, Blair almost forgot he'd been planning to suggest a siesta.  An afternoon roll in the hay was tempting, but Jim's face still showed exhaustion underneath his tan and Blair patted the bed.  "Why don't you lie down until dinner?"  
  
Jim scowled, although it was half-hearted.  "I'm not a baby; I don't need a nap."  
  
Blair rolled his eyes. "You don't have to nap, just stretch out."  He pulled down the sheet and invited Jim with a sweeping gesture. "I'll give you a massage," he said, a suggestive hint in his voice.  
  
Jim removed his towel and lay down obediently, settling into a comfortable position. Blair took one of his feet and started working on the pressure points, eliciting pleased little groans.  Before he'd picked up the second foot, Jim was asleep.    
  
He finished, then stripped off his own clothes, lay down and pulled the sheet over them, joining Jim in slumber.  
  
~~end~~


End file.
